Roger Fisher

How do you identify interests?

position is likely to be concrete and explicit; the interests underlying it may well be unexpressed, intangible, and perhaps inconsistent. How do you go about understanding the interests involved in a negotiation, remembering that figuring out their interests will be at least as important as figuring out yours?

Ask “Why?” One basic technique is to put yourself in their shoes. Examine each position they take, and ask yourself “Why?”